Search icon

Boxing

16th Nov 2018

Katie Taylor may get spot on Canelo undercard but Claressa Shields fight “will never happen”

Taylor likes to keep busy

Darragh Murphy

Katie Taylor likes to keep very busy.

Since making her professional debut two years ago, Taylor has been in the ring on 11 occasions and has looked nothing short of dominant as she put together a perfect record of 11-0.

The fighting pride of Bray has successfully defended her WBA and IBF lightweight titles twice since becoming a world champion last year and she is expected to take to the ring one more time before 2018 is out.

Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn let slip in an interview with iFL TV that he is hoping to get Taylor on the upcoming Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs. Rocky Fielding card on December 15.

An opponent has yet to be identified for Taylor but oddsmakers will surely anticipate little difficulty for the 32-year-old when she takes to the ring in Madison Square Garden.

One potential opponent has dismissed any chances of a meeting between the two pound-for-pound best female fighters in the world as IBF and WBA middleweight champion Claressa Shields insists that the weight disparity is too great.

Shields, who can add the can add the vacant WBC belt to her collection when she meets Scotland’s Hannah Rankin in Kansas, knows that the argument about the greatest female fighter in the world is down to Taylor and herself but can’t see the fight coming to fruition.

“I think that would be a dream match-up, but too bad we’re too far apart in weight,” Shields told Sky Sports. The lowest I’ll go is 154lbs, and I think the highest she’ll ever go is probably 140lbs.

“I don’t think the fight will ever be made, but me and her are definitely neck and neck as far as people may like her style better, people might like my style better, but we’re definitely one and two.”